Eight Maoists killed on Telangana-Chhattisgarh border

Hyderabad, March 1 (IANS) In a major gun battle, police shot dead eight Maoists, including five women, on the Telangana-Chhattisgarh border on Tuesday, police said.

A gun battle erupted around 7.30 a.m. near Guttepadu in the Chintavadu forests in Sukma district of Chhattisgarh.

The scene of gun battle was 15 km from Cherla mandal in Khammam district in Telangana.

It began when the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), the anti-Maoist force Greyhounds and police launched combing operations in the forests of Khammam following a tip off about the presence of Maoists.

The Maoists, numbering about 30, escaped in the deep forests into neighbouring Chhattisgarh. In the fighting that ensued, eight Maoists were killed.

Telangana Director General of Police Anurag Sharma said the forces were conducting combing operations in the area for last four days.